Ryan Gosling, seen last year in All Good Things and Blue Valentine, is a laconic stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway man in director Nicolas Winding Refn’s upcoming neo-noir film, Drive. The picture, inspired by 1980s music and tough guy features The Driver, Taxi Driver, and Thief, drew raves at the Cannes Film Festival, as Rehn received the fest’s Best Director honor.

During a Cannes press conference to promote Drive, Gosling recalled his first meeting with Refn, an encounter which actually started off with a whimper.  That is, until REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” filled their conversational chasm.  “It was clear that Nicolas, he’s one of my favorite filmmakers,” said Gosling about the filmmaker, whose previous credits include Valhalla Rising and Bronson.  “There’s nobody like him, and this is such a well explored genre that it’s hard to believe that you have anything to contribute to it.  I just knew that Nicolas wouldn’t let himself mimic anybody.  He has to be unique, it’s not in his DNA to mimic anyone, so it had to be him.”

To listen to Gosling’s recollection of his meeting with Refn and their REO Speedwagon experience, check out the following audio clip:

Drive, co-starring Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, and Albert Brooks, opens stateside September 16th.

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posted by Greg Srisavasdi